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True life crime’s delicate balancing act

Director Tony Tilse tells TV Tonight the Caroline Byrne telemovie was given consent by her father Tony Byrne to film at her actual gravesite.

carbIn directing A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne, Tony Tilse was mindful of the sensitivity of the story for those who were closest to it. Having directed Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback, The Postcard Bandit and Underbelly, he is well placed to know the legal and emotional minefield of depicting actual events.

“True crime dramas are always both an interesting and tricky affair,” he tells TV Tonight. “The closer you are to an actual event, you have quite a few legal issues to deal with, so that’s always a balancing act. There are still people living who are affected by the events versus the dramatic need to tell a story.”

Byrne was a young model whose body was found at the bottom of The Gap in 1995. Her boyfriend Gordon Wood reported a suicide, but her father Tony Byrne suspected murder. It took him 13 years for justice to finally prevail.

The telemovie is based on the book The Killing of Caroline Byrne by Robert Wainwright.

“And that’s based on conversations with Tony Byrne, the father. I would be very reticent to take it on without his permission. The fact that he had permitted us to do that story allowed us to proceed,” he says.

Whilst Tony Byrne wasn’t actively involved on set, producers had a few conversations with him.

“Screentime bought the rights to the book and as a courtesy asked him how much involvement he would like and whether he was open to conversations, which he was. That always makes the process a lot easier because we were able to film at her gravesite. The grave in the film is her actual grave.

gmcd“So we wouldn’t have been able to film there without Tony’s permission.”

Tilse says the consent from Caroline Byrne’s father enabled others close to the story feel that they could contribute as well. They included deportment tutor June Dally-Watkins and modelling friend Kylie Watson.

“We were able to talk to June Dally-Watkins and Kylie Watson and other people who were portrayed in the story,” says Tilse. “Knowing that Tony was involved helped them feel that they could give their own consent as well. And that’s always important in this kind of story.”

Wood, who was convicted of the murder in 2008, had worked as a chauffer to stockbroker Rene Rivkin, played by actor Tiriel Mora. In the telemovie there is a hint of a relationship between employer and employee than extends beyond most workplace conventions. Rivkin is continually surrounded by glamorous women and buff men.

Leaving some points to suggestion was a deliberate decision, says Tilse.

“We’re making a statement I guess…” he says.

“It’s like a documentary versus a drama. We’re dramatising event so we’re looking for a satisfying drama, and that’s where you can be hamstrung for legal reasons where you’d like to explore more issues but you can’t ultimately go there because of these contentions. That’s always an interesting dilemma with true crime.”

In the role of Caroline Byrne is actress Caribe Heine (H20: Just Add Water, Blue Water  High), arguably graduating from children’s television to adult drama.

Tilse praised his cast, which also includes Garry McDonald, David Lyons, Gyton Grantley and Heather Mitchell.

“When you’re casting well-known characters there’s a certain expectation they will physically resemblance. You just don’t want an impersonation but someone who can give you an insight into the character. Garry McDonald was fantastic as Tony because he’s not only physically like him but a great actor.

“David Lyons was a great find for us for Gordon. He’s sort of close physically but has a great way of getting inside that character. Tiriel Mora does a geat job as Renne Rivkin. He’s a larger than life character so it’s difficult to get right without making it too comedic.”

A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne airs 8:30pm Wednesday on TEN.

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